Hate Crimes

The United Kingdom boasts a multicultural, tolerant society that includes people from many different walks of life. Whereas the majority of people are tolerant and accepting of those who are different from them, a small minority of people take up bigoted, intolerant positions against people from certain backgrounds. Often, this can lead to abuse – both verbal and physical – where people are targeted solely because their background. These offenses are known as hate crimes.

What is Hate Crime?

The difference between a hate crime and other crimes is that the perpetrator of a hate crime is motivated by a hatred of a certain group of people. This hatred is often based on things like race, religion, gender, disability or sexuality. In this sort of crime, the perpetrator intentionally selects the person against whom the offense is committed based on one or more of the aforementioned factors.

A hate crime can take many forms and can include anything from physical or verbal attacks to vandalism. Some forms of hate crime that authorities deal with on a daily basis include:

– Abusive phone calls

– Offensive letters and emails

– Damaging of property

– Arson

– Physical attacks – minor and major

– Verbal abuse

Hate Crime Statistics

There were 43,748 hate crimes recorded by the police in 2011/12 with the vast majority of offenses being motivated by hate of a particular race. The statistics show that:

– 35, 816 crimes were based on race – 82%

– 4,252 crimes were based on sexuality – 10%

– 1,744 crimes were based on disability – 4%

– 1,621 crimes were based on religion – 4%

– 315 crimes were based gender/transgender issues – 1%

Statistics also show that the vast majority of hate crimes involved violence with 83% of the 43,738 crimes involving violent behaviour of some kind. The next most common method of crime was criminal damage. If you have been the victim of a hate crime, call Savas and Savage now. Our experienced solicitors can help you attain justice and ensure you are compensated for your injuries.